Oakland Athletics Strangely Did Not Trade for Kevin Youkilis

The Boston Red Sox offered their one-time superstar homegrown hero Kevin Youkilis to many different teams this June.

The market was evidently so poor that they sent Youkilis off to the Chicago White Sox for utility man Brent Lillibridge and minor league pitcher Zach Stewart. Boston is also paying a big chunk of his contract.

The trade looked bad for Boston then. It looks worse since Lillibridge was designated for assignment and Youkilis killed his former team this past week.

But it is odd that the suitors for Youkilis, whose numbers rebounded since changing his socks from Red to White, did not seem to include the Oakland Athletics.

Remember these are the same Athletics who coveted Youkilis in the pages of the book Moneyball. There is even a scene in the film version of Moneyball where Jonah Hill's character is watching a videotape of Youkilis at bat, wishing he was on the A's.

Well now he could have been. And Youkilis would have fit perfectly into the current surprising Oakland squad. They need a third baseman who has some power and can get on base.

That is Youkilis, who right now has a .941 OPS in 19 games with Chicago. Sure his defense at third base is suspect. Since when have Oakland coveted defensive players?

To be able to finally plug in "The Greek God of Walks" seemed like a logical fit for the A's. To get him for a player about to get cut and a minor league pitcher and have the Red Sox pick up most of his salary?

That's a deal so lopsided that if it appeared in the movie, it would be considered unbelievable.